On Saturday night, inside of the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mike Alvarado produced the biggest victory of his career in winning a unanimous decision over Brandon Rios in another all-action affair.

The win serves as a sense of redemption for Alvarado, who was stopped inside of seven rounds by Rios this past October in their first barnburner. During last night’s rematch, Alvarado decided to box more while picking the right moment to land meaningful shots in a vintage performance.
With a third fight very likely on the horizon, the boxing world is still buzzing over Rios-Alvarado II.

Following the bout, I got some quotes from some fellow boxing insiders who were ringside taking in the action, as seen below.

“I think it was another great fight. They gave a big fight for the fans and they went to war again. It was pretty much what happened in the first bout, but this time Alvarado, he happened to change a little bit. In the middle of the sixth round, he started moving a little bit more. But it was a great fight.” – Jose Ramirez, 2012 US Olympian (2-0 a professional)

“Rios, he never quit, man. He never stopped and neither did Mike. He just kept coming and coming and Mike adjusted in the ring. He started off early, he got caught early, he got hurt; he just made adjustments. And Rios really didn’t make an adjustment. For the most part, [Rios] he just comes forward and applies that pressure on you and doesn’t allow you to breathe in there.” – Tim Bradley, WBO welterweight champion (30-0, 12 KO’s)

“I thought it was a fantastic fight, like I knew it was going to be before I came to the arena. The last fight they had was a great fight. You probably won’t find too many fights like this the rest of the year.” – Brandon Jacobs, NFL running back and two-time Super Bowl champion

“Tremendous fight. Better than the first, I guess, because it went longer. Give credit to Mike Alvarado for making some adjustments, but it was a terrific, terrific fight. I could watch these guys fight 40 times. They’re going to feel this fight for the rest of their career, no doubt, and they’re linked in history together with one of the great rivalries in boxing history.” – Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Columnist

“You knew going in that it was going to be a hell of a fight. It was obvious to see that Alvarado fought more of a tactical fight this time. And in doing so, he came out ahead.” – Kenny Bayless, respected referee and fan favorite

“[Alvarado] fought smart this time. In his last fight, he was staying there toe to toe against Brandon. Brandon’s a one-dimensional fighter. He just comes forward. If you box him, you can make it an easy fight.” – Joel Diaz, Former lightweight contender and current day trainer Joel Diaz

“[Alvarado] boxed very well. First time I’ve seen him box like that, so that was a good thing. I think [a third fight] will happen. Will it go the same way? I don’t know.” – Zab Judah, former two-division world champion

CHECK OUT THE videos below for more reaction

Tim Bradley

Kevin Iole

Kenny Bayless

Joel Diaz

Zab Judah

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com and www.HustleBoss.com